


When Friends Become Family and Battles Become Goodbyes

by CCaptainRex



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Feels, Canonical Character Death, Celebration of Life, Everyone Needs A Hug, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Minor Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, dealing with FEELINGS, idk how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:28:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26094145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CCaptainRex/pseuds/CCaptainRex
Summary: "When is Echo's funeral?" The mess hall comes to a standstill. It seems that everyone's heard, or there's some ripple effect but everyone just stops and stares and watches as Rex drags a hand over his hair."Echo won't have a funeral, sir."Or Ahsoka discovers Clones don't get proper funerals and decides to take matters into her own hands.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54





	When Friends Become Family and Battles Become Goodbyes

Ahsoka had never seen the captain so...blue. Ironic, honestly, considering that was the colour of the 501st, but she'd never seen him upset like this before. She'd never seen any of the clones like this. Anakin had said this mission was too much for her, she wasn't ready, and maybe he was right. They lost Master Piell, they lost clones, they lost Echo. 

Echo. 

She'd been joking with him just the other day, laughing and watching some other dumb bet he and Fives made. She knows, by now, that their deaths shouldn't affect her. It is war, after all, but there's something about losing someone close to you, someone unexpected that stings so much more than normal. 

She's been told numerous times that clones are expendable soldiers bred to die for the republic; Their deaths mean nothing, but knowing the men under the helmets makes that impossible. Everyone around her seemed to handle it, maker, even Fives looked fine. They could all contain their sadness but it didn't make it any less meaningful. Ahsoka fiddles with the hem of her skirt and watches Rex sit and reluctantly type up a report, frown all too evident on his face. Everyone was close to Echo, everyone had a funny story about him or a meaningful connection and now she'd never get another moment like that with him, ever again. What makes her so upset is she never said goodbye, as childish as it sounds. 

Rex has said before he's lost many good men in battle and she doubts he gets goodbyes either. How does that not kill him inside? How can he watch as his brothers die and leave him behind one by one? How does he find peace in it all? "Rex?" 

"Sir?" He looks up from the datapad slowly. 

"When is Echo's funeral?" The mess hall comes to a standstill. It seems that everyone's heard, or there's some ripple effect but everyone just stops and stares and watches as Rex drags a hand over his hair. Maybe it's still a touchy subject, but she's not exactly sure why everyone seems to be watching her and Rex.

"Echo won't have a funeral, sir." Perhaps that's why. Everyone else knows that for some reason or another they can't give Echo a funeral and that's why they stare. But it makes no sense - Back at the temple, every Jedi had a proper burial, what did clones have? 

"Why not?" Rex holds in her a stare and she sees something in his eyes she's never seen before. Pity. Plain as that, and it makes her uncomfortable because it's almost obvious she's not putting two and two together. He looks at her like a child, not a Padawan, and sets his datapad to the side and links his fingers. He reminds her of Obi-Wan when he gives a lecture, a strained look on his face.

Rex forgets sometimes that Ahsoka is still so young and naive. That despite fighting alongside Anakin and himself she is still just a child and is facing battles that still scar him. How does he tell her? How does he let her know that Echo will never be buried or honoured and that his body remains on that kriffing planet for eternity?

He opens his mouth to say something and stops, eyes glancing around the room as if answers would appear mid-air. "We clones don't get funerals, really. When we die, if it's on the battlefield often the bodies are left behind, but sometimes buried." By the way he hesitates over 'sometimes' Ahsoka imagines not often do they get the time to bury a brother. "If it's in a medical facility, the organs get transplanted and then they're cremated. But there's so many of us, commander, it's useless to have funerals for every one of us." 

"But that's..." She doesn't know why the answer hits her so hard. Maybe it's that they're left behind, maybe it's that they don't care about it, maybe it's because they don't get funerals. But she has to sit back and process that all those men that died under her command never got recognition. Clones don't get funerals. Sure, something happens to the body but they don't get goodbyes. Everyone in the mess hall returns to whatever they were doing but it's still so silent, and she wipes at her eyes. She refuses to cry over something so childish in front of Rex, even if she knows he wouldn't judge her for it. "That's so sad." 

"It's what we're used to, sir. We have our own ways of respecting the dead, I suppose. Typically, if we're granted leave time we dedicate a round to a fallen brother." That's still not enough. Echo deserves so much better than nothing. A round of drinks. A sad retelling of a good story. 

"Can we host Echo a funeral?" Rex tilts his head ever so slightly as if studying her. "Like we get everyone together and tell stories. A celebration of life." 

Rex smiles and nods, eyes not meeting hers but she can still see them water. "I think he'd like that." There's a long silence before a hand touches her shoulder and she looks up at Kix, who smiles down at her. It gives Rex a distraction so he can wipe his eyes and not cry in front of Ahsoka, even though he knows she wouldn't judge him for it.

"I agree - You'll want to tell Fives first, though." She nods and stands, a plan already in motion. Fives, of all clones, deserves to have a proper burial for Echo. Well, even if it isn't a proper burial, it's a proper goodbye. Rex turns back to his datapad and Kix grabs a quick lunch and Ahsoka rushes off to find an abandoned room they can use. 

\--

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan had liked the idea wholeheartedly, but seeing as they were still on duty, the ceremony was done one evening while charting off to some other planet. Obi-Wan offered up their meditation room (really a large supply closet they converted for group meditation) and Ahsoka went about the little details. 

She'd managed to find some candles and pictures of Echo and set up a small memorial, and Anakin had created a small wreath of flowers that Padme had given him, though he tried to hide that fact when she came to him about something else to put together. All in all, it was a beautiful display. She had one last piece to set up, but that was for Fives to handle. 

All that was left was Fives. He tried to act like Echo's death didn't have that big of an effect on him, but he still spent his free hours couped up in his barracks and trying to hide from everyone else. Rex had given her the entry code (scandalous, a girl going into men's barracks) and it broke her heart to see Fives crying on Echo's bunk. 

As soon as he heard the door open her straightened up, smacking his head off the top bunk with a groan. She tried to hide her laugh but he still rolled his eyes before realizing it was her and jumping to attention. "Easy, Fives, it's alright." 

"Sorry, commander, I-" He doesn't have to explain as he wipes away tears that have stained a track into his cheeks. 

"Don't worry about it Fives." He looks down at her and it suddenly dawns on her that all the clones, despite looking older and wiser, are all children like her. A child stuck in a man's body dying in battles that one day will probably mean nothing. Clones are human beings and real people and it breaks her heart that Echo was just fine without being able to say goodbye. 

"Can I help you, sir?" She had almost forgotten the reason she barged in her in the first place. 

"Yes, actually, I need your help with something." He stares at her expectedly and she gestures to the door. "It's more advice, really, I need you to come see something." 

He huffs out a soft laugh as he shakes his head and accompanies her down the hall. "I better not end up covered in paint or something." 

"No, it's not a prank." Though she can see why he'd think that. She'd kept this somewhat secret from him because she wanted it to be special and see his live reaction. She stops in front of the mediation room and his brows furrow in confusion. "I promise it's not a prank, really. I wanted to do something for you and all the other clones," She lets the door slide open and he takes a step inside before a step back and his eyes are glued onto the display of Echo and the flowers and the candles and everyone else. Rex, Jesse, Hardcase, Kix, Anakin and Obi-Wan. "It's a celebration of life for Echo." Rex holds out a helmet to Fives and he slowly takes it, running his fingers over the all too similar paint job. She'd found an extra helmet and painted it to look like Echo's and Fives just stared down at it, gripping onto it like if he let go it might disappear. She knows that feeling. 

"You all did this," Fives emotion is plain on his face and she gently places a hand on his shoulder as he lets a few tears slip. "For Echo?" 

"It was all Ahsoka's idea," Rex adds. "She wanted a proper send-off." 

Fives stares at her before tugging her into his side like an awkward half-hug but she doesn't care. He holds her there for a moment in silence before letting go and stepping forward, placing the helmet down in front of the memorial. "You know, all of us clones, we're brothers. But Echo, Echo was...a true brother, I grew up and knew him my whole life. I still don't believe he's actually gone." 

"Echo was one of the best. Loyal, kind, he was a true soldier and a true brother," Rex adds on with a small smile. "It was an honour to serve with him." 

"The first day we met both you and Echo was an interesting day, to say the least, and he was a brave and loyal man," Anakin says quietly. "He will be missed." 

Ahsoka knows she should say something but she can't. All her brain can think of is how this is it for clones. They're lucky to get something like this, most times their bodies are scattered across forgotten battlefields. What could she possibly say to honour Echo? That he was a good solider? He was so much more than that. "Echo was a good friend. I wish I had the chance to know him longer." 

They all stand in silence for a moment, together, and Ahsoka feels something vaguely new. Sure, Anakin and Obi-Wan and all them were her friends and the people she loved dearly, but for the first time, it felt like a family. Looking around, Ahsoka wonders when this happened. When friends became family and when battles became goodbyes. She doesn't mind it at all, and she takes Fives and Anakin's hand in hers with a smile. This strange little group was her family, and they were here to see Echo off. 


End file.
